Football League World
·4 December 2024
Football League World
·4 December 2024
FLW's Charlton Athletic fan pundit has given his view on reports linking defender Lloyd Jones with a move to Wycombe Wanderers.
This article is part of Football League World’s 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…
Charlton Athletic defender Lloyd Jones is reportedly attracting interest from fellow League One promotion hopefuls Wycombe Wanderers.
That's according to journalist Alan Nixon, who claims that Wycombe are plotting a move for Jones in the January transfer window as they look to bolster their squad ahead of the second half of the season.
Jones has established himself as a key player for Charlton since joining the club from Cambridge United last summer but he is out of contract at The Valley in the summer, which is giving the Chairboys hope that they can complete a deal for the defender in January.
The 29-year-old started the Addicks' first 10 league games of the season, wearing the captain's armband on one occasion but he picked up an injury at the start of October and only made his return in a short appearance from the bench in last night's defeat to Crawley Town.
After an inconsistent start to the campaign, Charlton currently sit 12th in the table, eight points from the play-off places, while Wycombe are flying high at the top of the division following a remarkable run.
When asked what the club's stance should be on Jones in January, FLW's Charlton Athletic fan pundit Ben Fleming urged the board not to cash in on the defender, even if that means losing him for free in the summer.
"I'd be a bit surprised by that one, to be honest," Ben said.
"I get that he's out of contract in the summer, but he's been injured for the best part of six weeks now, so it's not like he's been playing a whole lot for us over the past month or so.
"I know he's coming back to fitness, but it would be an odd one for Wycombe to bring a guy who hasn't played a whole lot this season.
"When fit, he's an automatic starter in our team and he was a good pick-up from Cambridge.
"I don't necessarily think we'll be looking to move him on, if there is interest. I'm sure the club will speak to him in January and ascertain if they can try and pin him down to a new deal, but even if he doesn't want to sign and wants to go on a free, I don't think we should cash in on him.
"He's one of our best defenders, we bought him in on a free I'm pretty sure, so if he leaves on a free, it's not the end of the world."
He added: "I'd be pretty reticent to see us cash in on him, and if we lose him on a free in the summer, then we lose him on a free, but I wouldn't want us to be selling our best defensive player while we're still trying to push for the play-offs."
With Charlton eight points from the play-off places, at this point, Wycombe look much more likely to achieve promotion this season.
With that in mind, the opportunity to join the Chairboys would surely be tempting for Jones and with little sign that he is set to commit to a new contract at The Valley, the Addicks may fear losing him in January.
Jones is now 29 years of age, and having spent much of his career at League One level or below, he may feel that making the move to Adams Park is the best chance for him to play Championship football.